Mexico residents face water scarcity with innovation

Despite the US criticism of the UN resolution on water rights, people in the United States consume the most water per person in the world. That's according to the Water Footprint Network. The data shows the average US resident consumes twice the world per capita average.  Many Americans take for granted that water will come out of an open tap, but that's not always the case south of the border. Shannon Young reports on living with water scarcity in Oaxaca City:

TRANSCRIPT:

Perhaps the most common advice given to tourists who visit Mexico is: don't  drink the tap water. Locals can't drink it either without risking gastrointestinal illness. The vital liquid is purchased in 5 gallon containers from water vendors who wander set routes. Vendors also  deliver upon request.

A five gallon jug costs about $1.25, which in Mexico amounts to one quarter of a minimum wage worker's daily earnings.

Local ecologist Juan Jose Consejo says access to the necessary amount of clean water should be guaranteed, while water used for commercial, recreational, or non-essential purposes should be subject to a different pricing system.

JUAN JOSE CONSEJO: We think that water is invaluable – it's a human right – but certain services should be priced in a different way. I mean, it should be free for basic human needs, but after that it should be charged.”

Consejo adds that about half of Oaxaca City's water is lost through leaky pipes and  the government's answer to scarcity is  huge infrastructure projects that would bring water from far away regions. Proposals to build dams in water-rich rural areas, both for hydroelectric and water supply purposes, have met stiff opposition from local residents.

Juan Gómez from the Council of United Towns for the Defense of the Rio Verde explains that the proposed Paso de la Reina dam would decimate an important watershed in his region and dry up a federally-protected mangrove lagoon.

JUAN GOMEZ: First we sent documents and declarations from our town assemblies, signed and stamped by the appropriate authorities. We've also spread the word about our problem to the state, national and international levels. Now we're thinking a third stage is upon us – one of mobilizations and resistance to stop this project in whichever way we can.

The group is part of what has become a national anti-dam movement, composed mostly of indigenous residents of rural areas facing displacement, while growing frustrated with the government's unsatisfactory response to their grievances.

The concept of supplying the capital city with water is already a lucrative cottage industry here.

That's a tanker truck pumping water into a downtown building. The trucks bring water into the city from wells on the semi-rural outskirts. Ten thousand liters – around 2600 gallons – can cost about 100 U.S. dollars.

Water arrives through the underground pipe system about twice a week and is stored in overhead containers. If the water runs out, some people call in the tankers. Others just go without until the next day it comes through the pipes – leaving dirty dishes, showering, and toilet flushing for later.

Melissa Mena Koblizek says the house she rents has always had water issues. So she built a dry toilet on her roof as a solution and to show others that it could be done in an urban setting.

MELISSA MENA: This part of the city has a lot of water problems. But what's happened is that the problems are now fewer, and if we do run out of water, we can use this bathroom and not use the flush toilets downstairs. A flush toilet that's gone without water for three or four days is disgusting and smells bad. And it also happens that when friends come over in the days in which no one has water, they are inspired to realize that this smells much better, is much cleaner, and much more hygienic than a flush toilet without water.

Flush toilets account for more water usage than any other household device.  The average person in a developed country flushes an estimated 4,000 gallons of water down the toilet each year.

Sustainable builder Ana Toledo says her personal choice to give up the flush toilet was simple.

ANA TOLEDO: To stop using clean water to mix with poo. That's it. How is it possible that we're sending water that could be used for other purposes away with poo in it – and then pay to clean it – which costs a lot of money even though it's not even done well? Water treatment plants are expensive and only somewhat clean water that's already scarce and increasingly dirty. I think it's also the most radical proposal for any ecologist. If you have a dry toilet, you're saying many things; like telling the state that you don't need a sewage hookup, that you can take charge of your waste and conserve water.

Toledo says dry toilets are easy to build and only require periodic maintenance. If used properly, the end result is something that looks and smells like dry dirt which can be used in flower pots or gardens.

While urban dry toilets are by no means common here, they do represent a viable alternative for water conservation in a city where water is lacking... and a personal way to reduce demand for infrastructure projects like dams.

Shannon Young, FSRN, Oaxaca.